


That Space In Time

by ceruleandrop



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-27
Updated: 2015-11-27
Packaged: 2018-05-03 16:50:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5298950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceruleandrop/pseuds/ceruleandrop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jongdae sings way too loudly in the shower, and Minseok can't help but to sing back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Space In Time

**Author's Note:**

> written from the prompt on tumblr, “we live in adjacent apartments and the walls are really thin, so I hear you sing every morning in the shower at 6:30 and you’re actually really good and I stand next to the wall and sing the next lyric just to see what would happen” au
> 
> crossposted on aff & lj

It has been going on for weeks. Minseok lives in a tiny apartment smack dab in the middle of Seoul, squished against the confines of many, many others. He’s on the ground floor, _thank god,_ and his upstairs neighbor, Kris, is usually pretty good about the noise level. (There was that one disastrous party one time, but Minseok isn’t one to dwell on the past.) The problem is his next-door neighbor. His next-door neighbor, who he’s coincidentally never seen, only heard.

 

Minseok has always prided himself on being a semi social person. He wouldn’t go out of his way to meet new people, but he wasn’t entirely against the idea of doing so. It amazed him that even after 2 whole months, he’s never met his neighbor. He knows that his neighbor’s name is Kim Jongdae, and that he is roughly 3 years younger than him. Minseok isn’t a stalker or anything, he swears, just really, really curious. The mailman was really lacking. He couldn’t blame him; the names Kim Jongdae and Kim Minseok were oh so similar.

 

Minseok wakes up early for his job. He works in a small, but professional, bakery in the busy metropolitan area of Seoul. It gets very busy, and his boss keeps requesting him arrive at work earlier. It’s not his fault that all the businessmen and idols need their doughnuts at strange hours of the morning, but it is his fault that he can’t seem to wake up on time. Actually, it had become so bad that his boss would’ve fired him, if it weren’t for Minseok’s excellent baking skills.

 

So, inadvertently, he was very grateful when the elusive Kim Jongdae moved in. He was a quiet neighbor, except for when he wasn’t. Kim Jongdae, as Minseok had discovered, had a beautiful, powerful singing voice. Somehow, sleeping through alarm clocks was easy, but as soon as the faint “Baby, Baby, oh yeah~” and Jongdae’s soulful voice reached Minseok’s ears, he was awake. Drowsy, yes, tired, most definitely, but nevertheless awake.

 

It soon became routine. Minseok woke up at around 6:30 through the week, to Jongdae’s voice floating through the walls. Jongdae took daily showers it seemed, because one Friday, he must have been sick, and Minseok was late to work. (He slid a couple supermarket coupons under the door. Not because Jongdae had a nice voice, he told himself. Really.)

 

Minseok’s secretive neighbor was also his friends’ favorite topic of conversation. Luhan never missed the opportunity to tease him about it.

“So, Baozi, meet your mystery husband yet?” He asked, biting into a creamy pastry of Minseok’s creation. Minseok glared in return. “Yeah, right Lulu. He could be like 52, greasy and never shaves for all I know. He’s definitely not husband material.”

 

Luhan threw him the look in return. “Look Minseok, you never know. Tao thought Kris was some 30 something with a really deep voice. Turns out, Kris is my age and they are practically soul mates! You should talk to this guy. You haven’t been laid in months.”

 

Minseok raised his eyebrows. “Since when did this have anything to do with my sex life?

He glared at Luhan, who simply shrugged. “It’s true. I’m getting a little concerned.”

 

Minseok sighed. “You better tip.” He said, before returning to his spot behind the counter, back into the kitchen where all the baking was done. For his best friend, Luhan could be a little bit pushy sometimes. But he had to admit, he was right.

 

Minseok had began to notice a pattern as the weeks passed. Jongdae was getting better. He was singing louder, for one thing, and the languages began to vary. First he remembered awakening to the sounds of an old Korean ballad, then the next day to an English lullaby. He heard various Chinese songs, even recording a few for Luhan to decipher.

 

He found himself at Jongdae’s front door more often than he would care to admit. He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what. Minseok settled for writing a note.

 

_Your Voice is really amazing!_

He cringed after slipping it under the door. What if Jongdae thought he was creepy? Thank god he wasn’t around, otherwise it would’ve been a million times worse.

 

There were a couple close calls. One morning, he had nearly run into Jongdae himself, but only caught a glimpse of his back as the door closed. (It was a nice back, but Minseok really didn’t have time to judge it all that well, seeing as he had seen it for about a whole of 5 seconds.) Another time, Jongdae (or least he thought it was Jongdae) had knocked on his door. (Minseok had proceeded to pretend that he wasn’t home. It was effective.)

 

More weeks passed, and Minseok became really busy as work at the café picked up. It seemed that the idols couldn’t keep their hands off his pastries and muffins. And of course, fans would do just about anything to even touch the same surface that their idol had. It was quite creepy, really. But he couldn’t complain, because his salary increased with each patron that entered the store. He was truly getting the better end of the deal.

 

Jongdae’s singing was becoming more predictable. The earlier in the week, the higher the probability it would be a ballad. On Wednesday, the song was always in English, though Minseok questioned why. Fridays were the best, as Jongdae would sing just about any popular idol group’s song, from SNSD to BTS. (He wasn’t a very accomplished rapper, as Minseok had come to learn, but he certainly had a certain funk about his music.)

 

It was a Wednesday when it finally happened. Minseok awoke, as usual to a slightly accented version of Justin Bieber’s “Baby”. This was probably the third consecutive Wednesday to be hearing this song. Not to say that Minseok was tired of his voice, but the song was getting a bit old. Its lyrics were so repetitive, and Minseok found himself singing right back to Jongdae, in an early morning duet of sorts. That is if a duet could be unknowingly sung between two people. But Minseok was willing to look over the minor details.

 

He must have been singing louder than he thought because suddenly, Jongdae had gone silent. He waited, hearing the water shut off. Then the voice began again, starting with the chorus.

“Baby, Baby, baby ohhh” Jongdae’s was angelic. Minseok smiled, and found the courage to parrot back, “Baby, Baby, Baby, Nooo”

The singing faltered, then continued as strong as ever. They finished their duet in enough time for Minseok’s coffee to be ready, and he was grateful. He heard the door slam, signaling, Jongdae’s departure, and his day continued on.

 

The week passed without another duet, but the next one was a whole different story. Jongdae sang Minseok’s favorite song on Monday, and there was no way in hell that Minseok was going to restrain himself from singing along. So he sang along, with as much fervor as Jongdae devoted to his daily shower performances.

 

As he was preparing to lock up and head to work, he noticed a slip of paper slid ever so daintily under his door.

 

_You have a nice voice too._

The handwriting was neat, with the hint of flare to it. Minseok smiled at it, his heart racing slightly. So he had noticed.

 

The daily duets continued, and even Luhan noticed the change in Minseok’s mood. He was smart enough not to comment too much on it, but he caught the bright twinkle in friend’s eyes that signaled genuine interest.

 

Perhaps Luhan noted the greatest change on a Thursday morning, after a particularly eventful Wednesday according to Minseok.

 

It had started out the same, wake up to Jongdae’s amazing voice, join in, and drink coffee, then head off to work. But, today’s note under the door didn’t hold a compliment; instead it held a phone number.

 

Minseok felt the blood rush to his face. His neighbor actually wanted to meet face to face after 3 months of living practically on top of one another. Who was Minseok to refuse?  


It had been a week of silence. Minseok had yet to text the number that Jongdae had slipped under his door. He knew it was cowardly, but he wasn’t quite ready to make that jump. He was constantly overthinking it. What if this Jongdae was really just some old creeper like he had always thought? Luhan wasn’t always right. 

 

So, Minseok continued his daily life, rising to the heavenly sound of Jongdae’s voice and rushing to work to bake and serve pastries to the ever-hungry businessmen and idols. It was becoming dull, especially since he had stopped singing back. It was stupid, but Minseok felt like something was missing.

 

That all changed on a Wednesday morning at the café. Minseok was attending to his usual duties, which involved baking, serving the customers and busing tables if needed. He hated to be demoted to such busy work, but some times it was necessary. The radio in the café crackled, and he set down the dish he was carrying to adjust it. The idols in particular were very picky about which music they listened to. So, the owner of the café and Minseok’s boss had come up with a solution: they only played a station with the newest music and that of idols that had never been patrons of the store. That way, the idols could catch a break and the businessmen would be pacified. Minseok hit the old radio and the crackling ceased. Satisfied, he turned and picked up the dishes, catching the end of the radio show’s information.

 

“Right, and now we are going to play a demo of one of the new debuting groups this spring. Here is Growl by EXO!”  Minseok continued wiping down the counter, bobbing his head slightly to the beat of the music. The song was by no doubt catchy to say the least. As the voices switched Minseok observed the customers. The idols were nodding along, some even singing under their breath. It was always amazing to Minseok how the idols reacted to new songs. Their reactions were raw and real, just another factor in reminding him that although they were idols, they were human too.

 

A familiar, strong, powerful voice jerked him out of his thoughts. Minseok froze; clutching the plate he was holding tightly, knuckles whitening.

 

“Kim Jongdae.” He breathed, rooted to where he stood. Minseok was sure it was his voice, having heard it daily for months. If Jongdae was joining a debuting group, that must mean that he was a trainee. His singing was practice and here, for the first time in 2 months, Minseok was hearing the real, true un-diminished voice of Jongdae. He could hardly believe his ears as the song continued, and when Jongdae reached the high note, his heart raced.

The song ended, and Minseok’s body continued it’s duties, but his soul remained forever attached to the sound of that voice unrestrained, not drowned out by the sounds of the shower.

 

Having survived his (now extremely long just to avoid running into Jongdae) shift, Minseok collapsed on his apartment’s cushy couch sighing softly.

 

If Kim Jongdae was an idol…. He would definitely become famous fast. Someone whose voice was that powerful and that ability to be dynamic would have no issue succeeding in the industry. The only issue would be the strain on his mental health. Sure, being an idol came with many benefits, but for some it was too much. Privacy was pretty much destroyed, due to crazy fans and the ever-curious group of onlookers. Not to mention the intense competition from other idols, and the pressure to win many music shows during promotions. If Kim Jongdae was going to become an idol, Minseok could guarantee it would not be without some kind of struggle.

 

The only problem was that he wanted to be there for Jongdae when it was, and that scared the shit out of him. He after all, had yet to meet him face to face. Hell, he’d never spoke to the guy, but he had developed some sort of newfound respect for him. Minseok shook off the thought, picking himself off of the couch. There wasn’t away use dwelling on it, if Jongdae was really an idol, he was definitely way out of Minseok’s league, unattainable.

 

Peeling off his shirt, Minseok slipped into the shower. He turned it on, stepping out of the way of the spray while the water warmed up. He cleared his throat before stepping back under the spray, letting the warm water wash over his body. But now, later at night, his shower felt lacking. Minseok knew he was being silly. How could a shower be boring? It wasn’t like showers were supposed to be interesting; they were purely to get clean. Still, he missed the sound of Jongdae’s voice.

 

 _Damn._ He slammed his fist into the shower wall, before giving up entirely. He decided to sing, Jongdae and his amazing voice be damned. He didn’t want to disturb him from his sleep, but there was no way of even telling anyway, so Minseok just went with the flow.

 

After deciding that singing a song by one of the idol groups that frequented his café would be too strange, he settled on one of the newer group’s songs. Luckily for him, it started off with a slower rap, and he was able to keep in tune and pace with the song.

 

As he continued to sing, he washed, not registering the sounds of the pipes creaking as the shower began to run next door, signaling that Jongdae was starting his shower. Minseok kept singing, seriously getting into the song, preparing for the epic chorus. He sang louder.  The only bad part about choosing BTS’ “I NEED U” was that it was sung by a multitude of talented individuals. So while Minseok wished he could harmonize with himself, he couldn’t. He felt bad actually, for slightly butchering the part up to the chorus.  

 

 

That all quickly vanished as he launched directly into it, belting “I NEED U GIRL”, not expecting Jongdae to join in.

 

The shock caused him to nearly squirt shampoo into his eye.

 

 

Jongdae continued, picking up the chorus after his failed rap attempt. He effortlessly hit the high note before Minseok had recovered enough to join back in. They sang with so much energy Minseok was surprised it was nearing eleven at night.

 

He felt a loss as the song came to an end. Every duet he had ever sung with Jongdae before had been (sometimes unknowingly) initiated by him. This time, Jongdae had been the one to chime in, backing up his vocals on the chorus.

 

He shut off the water, and reached for his towel. So immersed in his thoughts, he didn’t even notice that a large amount of time had passed since the sound of running water could be heard from next door. Minseok toweled off his hair, wrinkling his nose as it became fluffy. He had barely finished wrapping the towel around his waist when he heard a loud knock at the door.

 

“If it’s Luhan, I’m going to fucking kill him.” Minseok muttered under his breath. “Doesn’t he have any concept of time?”

 

He crossed his apartment, blinking his eyes tiredly. He tugged on his boxers, and dug around for a shirt before completely abandoning the cause and going for the door instead.

 

“Luhan what could possibly bring you-“

 

Minseok froze.  Instead of Luhan, he was met with twinkling eyes and a small smile.

 

“I’m not Luhan, but I’d like to say hello. Sorry if it’s late.” The melodious voice caused Minseok’s blood to chill further.

 

“Uhhh. Hi? .” He stated, very intelligently.

 

He paused, before continuing, “Who are you?”

 

The man grinned, so bright and happy that Minseok felt that he had just swallowed sugary candy.

 

“I’m Kim Jongdae, your neighbor!”

 

Minseok blushed bright red. This was Jongdae. He hadn’t expected him to be so handsome. With a square jaw, bright, twinkling eyes and an infectious smile, there was no denying that he was attractive.

 

“It’s nice to meet you Jongdae, if you excuse me, I’d like to sleep now.” He said curtly, quietly, and in the most polite way possible, shut the door in the idol’s face.

 

There was just no way that he was ready for this.

 

Minseok slid down the door, his thoughts and heart racing at a million miles per hour.

 

Jongdae returned to his own apartment, feeling a bit defeated. Nevertheless, a small smile graced his lips. He had finally gotten to at least glimpse the man behind the voice, Kim Minseok. And he was very satisfied with what he saw.

 

“He’s handsomer than I expected.” He confessed to his stuffed animals, before pulling up his covers and snuggling deeper into his bed. Tomorrow would be a new day, and another opportunity to meet the elusive man next door.

 

Minseok crawled into his own bed, trying to calm his own heart. He resolved to tell Luhan all in the morning, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

 

The next morning Jongdae rose as usual, climbing out of bed, and dressing in his practice clothes. They were going over the choreography for Growl again, as he couldn’t quite get one of the formation changes down right.

He launched himself into the shower, singing cheerfully. He quickly dimmed however, when he realized Minseok wasn’t singing back. Eyes downcast, he dressed quickly and departed for the company.

 

 

Minseok, on the other hand, had barely rolled out of bed when his alarm rang out. For the first time, he had slept through Jongdae’s voice. Chalking it up to the surprise of meeting him, Minseok rushed to catch his bus to work.

 

It would be a bit of an understatement to say that his boss was less than pleased with his work that day. But Minseok couldn’t help it. Every time he paused in between washing dishes or baking muffins, he recalled Kim Jongdae. He just couldn’t get those bright eyes out of his mind.

 

He was grateful when Luhan showed up; sliding in just after the first wave of businessmen had left.

 

“How’s your sexy voice neighbor doing?” Luhan asked by way of greeting, not so discreetly. Luhan seemed very distracted to Minseok; he was staring at a young idol that had just walked in with a group of what appeared to be his friends.

 

“Actually, about that-“ Minseok began, before freezing, his eyes trailing that pattern to capture what Luhan saw.

 

A group of young idols had wandered into the café, a new group, one Minseok hadn’t seen before. He quickly said a few words to Luhan, and then returned to his post behind the counter. 

 

“Hello, and welcome to Café Kkaepsong. May I take your order?” Minseok stated professionally. The blonde man in front of him blushed, being quite shy.

 

“Yah! Sehun let the man do his job! Hurry up and order okay?” One of his companions addressed. Sehun nodded quickly to Minseok, before turning around to face his company.

 

“What do you want to get hyungs?” he addressed.

The tallest one answered first, before cutely rubbing his eyes from underneath his glasses. He was totally the boss’ type, Minseok decided. There were 6 in total, Minseok noticed, all looking to be in about their early twenties. Another member pushed his way forward, shoving Sehun out of the way. He glanced up at the menu, not even registering the fact that Minseok was staring so intently at him.

 

Minseok could not believe his eyes. There, for the second time in less than twenty-four, hours, Kim Jongdae stood in front of him. Unsure of how to go about the situation, Minseok to decided to instead wait and see what Jongdae had to say. He observed who he assumed to be his band mates. The tall one, the one who looked like he was a CEO, the one with wide, blinking eyes and heart shaped lips, the one who couldn’t keep his eyes off of the later, and of course, Sehun. The group easily drew attention from other idol groups in the store, as the business/ rush hour was just about to begin.

 

Jongdae’s eyelashes fluttered as he looked, undecided, upon the many different menu items. Not seeing anything in particular that stood out to him, he decided to ask the cashier for his opinion. He looked up, and was instantly met with a familiar pair of dark, shining eyes.

 

“It’s you.” He breathed, blinking, before a bright smile overtook his face.

 

“Who’s this Jongdae hyung? Do you know him?” The man who was staring at the wide-eyed man finally dragged his attention away for long enough so that he noticed the interaction.

 

Jongdae blushed faintly, while scratching the back of his head.

“We’re neighbors actually.” He said.

This caught the attention of the rest of his friends, who, upon hearing this new information, began to gossip loudly, embarrassing Jongdae.

 

Minseok hid a smile, trying to keep from laughing a Jongdae’s misfortune. His friends were full of life, and he felt that a person who sang with all his soul like that truly deserved such a group of people.

 

“So, Jongdae-sshi, what would you like to order?”

 

Jongdae give him another bright smile as he rattled off the list for his friends. Despite his racing heart, Minseok completed the order with ease, and, with a moment of courage, scribbled his number on the bottom of the coffee cup. It was inconspicuous enough so that if Jongdae actually managed to see it, it would be destiny.

 

He finished setting the drinks on the counter, watching as each of the members picked up their cup. A sudden thought occurred to Minseok, just about when they were going to sit down.

“Jongdae-shhi! Wait!” He called at Jongdae, who had just turned away.

 

“What is it Minseok-shhi?”” The man asked, curious, eyes searching Minseok’s face for any sort of clue as to why he had stopped him. Did he pay the wrong amount or something?

 

“Who is the leader of your group?” Minseok asked smoothly, “The boss is going to want to talk to him, café policy.”

 

The boss, as it turns out, was nothing that Jongdae expected.

 

Jongdae’s friends had just gotten settled into the room that Minseok had led them to when Byun Baekhyun entered. For starters, he was much younger than he, or any other member of his group had anticipated.  Byun Baekhyun was a very capable man, but eccentric nonetheless. Minseok and the other employees had long since gotten used to the man’s quirks, which made working at the café a very enjoyable experience.

 

“Please introduce yourselves.” Baekhyun stated, commanding the room. Minseok watched from the edge, curious as to what his boss was up to this time.

 

“I’m Kim Joonmyun, Leader of EXO.” The CEO looking one introduced himself, before gesturing to the next member. “I’m Kim Jongin, lead dancer.” The man who had been staring at the wide-eyed one, who later introduced himself as Do Kyungsoo. Sehun introduced himself as well, and last but certainly not least was Park Chanyeol.

 

Park Chanyeol… just when Baekhyun had thought himself immune to the many charms of idols, in stumbled Park Chanyeol. Nothing could prepare him for the wide, dorky smile he was receiving. Even Minseok in the corner seemed a bit alarmed.

 

“Welcome to Kkapsong Café. As you are probably unaware of, I have created a longstanding tradition that is upheld here in this establishment. To satisfy all of the patrons, we only play classical music, or music from groups who have never set foot in this shop. There are no exceptions.”

 

The various members of EXO seemed surprised, eyes blinking widely. “Therefore, continued Baekhyun, “I will need to know the details regarding album releases and other information regarding your songs. If this is too much for you.” Baekhyun paused, not quite knowing how to finish his speech, “Anyway, if you have any questions, I will gladly take them. My employees know my contact information.” In a flash, he was gone.

 

The members of EXO sat blinking their eyes, bewildered. It took Joonmyun a good two minutes before he was able to right himself and continue the group’s endeavor to get their coffee before they had to return to the company once more.

 

Minseok took a moment to collect himself before addressing the customers again. “Sorry about that, but this café has always been this way since Baekhyun opened the place. It’s not meant to overwhelm you or anything like that. But yeah, like he said, I have his contact information for whenever you are ready to talk about the releases.” He turned to the leader, Joonmyun, before continuing, “Most of the companies are familiar with Baek’s rules already, so you won’t have to worry about that.”

 

Joonmyun glanced at his watch. “Thanks for everything Minseok. We’ve got to get back to the company now, but at least one of us will be back to inform you in the near future.” With a smile, he led the rest of the EXO members out of the café, sipping their drinks as they went.

 

Minseok let out a small sigh of relief as they left. If they had stayed much longer, he wasn’t sure how he would have acted around Jongdae. To be quiet honest, he was a bit shy around his neighbor. He could hardly believe he had worked up the confidence to slip Jongdae his number, but he had been contemplating it for a while.

 

As he walked back into the main room of the café, he could practically feel Luhan’s eyes burning holes through his head. Minseok couldn’t really blame him; he had left him with questions unanswered.

 

“So that’s the neighbor?” Luhan asked, a smirk creeping its way over his face. “Minnie he’s definitely your type.” Minseok glared in return. “I don’t have a type.”

 

“And Tao and Kris have never sucked face. Please Min, did you see his arms? Totally your type. Don’t even deny it.” Luhan shot back, eyes twinkling.

 

“Well what about you staring at Sehun? What was that about?” Minseok returned. Privately, Luhan was glad to have learned the cute boy’s name but he knew it was just another of Minseok’s tactics to distract him form the real topic, his hot neighbor.

 

Luhan glared lightly, before glancing at his phone. “I’ve got to meet Yixing in 20, so I’ll take my leave. Thanks for the pastries though. Tell Baek I said hello.” With that, he rose from his chair and left abruptly, much to Minseok’s relief. As much as Minseok loved Luhan, he really did not feel like getting interrogated about his love life at the moment.

 

The rest of the day passed pretty quickly, but thoughts of Jongdae kept pricking at Minseok’s conscience. He couldn’t help but wonder if Jongdae had even noticed his number, or just thrown the cup away without a second thought. Noticing his distracted movements, Baekhyun just sighed.

 

“Look Minseok hyung, I know we’ve been friends for like ever, but if you aren’t going to do your job, you should just go home. “ He gave a look as to prove his point.  “You still haven’t even served Super Junior’s table yet, and Kyuhyun looks like he’s going to blow up the shop.”

 

Minseok grimaced, “Sorry Baek, I’m just really distracted at the moment. I’m going to take your advice and just head on home for today.” Baekhyun raised his eyebrows. “Just know that I’m not paying you for the hours you missed today.”

 

Minseok throws his keys onto his counter top, sighing loudly. He usually never gets home this early, doesn’t quite have an idea of what he should do with himself.  He just went to the gym a couple of days ago, and he’s not so anxious about making a return visit. Instead, his feet carry him over to his desk where is his laptop is sitting, and he begins mindlessly browsing the internet, catching up with celebrity gossip.

 

He coos over the news of Lee Bo Young and Ji Sung’s baby girl, before a headline catches his attention.  

 

“Rookie Group EXO to debut in March!”

 

Immediately interested, he clicked on the link, and was led to a short, concise article.

After reading through the details, Minseok raised his eyebrows in surprise.

The Rookie Group was apparently filming a television show to help boost their ratings upon debut.

 

“So that’s why Jongdae has been getting up so early…” He muttered, curiosity pacified forth moment.

 

Minseok noticed a link to another article, this one titled: “Teaser Images for Rookie Group EXO released!”

 

He immediately recognized the photos of the group who had been in the café just hours earlier. Normally he didn’t pay much attention to new idol groups, because usually it was a long time before they would become successful. But as his eyes fell on the picture that was unmistakably of Jongdae, he felt himself changing his mind.

 

That was when his phone buzzed, nearly giving him a heart attack. He would say it was an unknown number because he didn’t have the contact saved in his phone, but he definitely knew that number. He had been staring at for days, scribbled on a paper that had been slipped under his door.

 

It was from Jongdae.

 

From: 472837989

-       Hi it’s your neighbor Jongdae

 

Minseok nearly squealed, but kept composed. How should he respond? Barely thinking, he quickly answered the message.

 

To: 472837989

-       Hi Jongdae

 

He breathed a sigh of relief. There was no way he could wrong by just saying hello.

 

From: 472837989

-       I have the information about the release and album track list for your boss, do you want me to send it to you or?

 

Minseok could sense the awkwardness even just from the text message.

 

To: Jongdae

-       You probably shouldn’t send it over text. I saved your number.

 

Minseok cringed. Perhaps he had just made it worse. He didn’t want to sound like some creepy fan.

 

From: Jongdae

\- Can I call you then?

 

Minseok could hardly breathe. Call him? It seemed Jongdae wasn’t waiting for an answer, because seconds later, TVXQ’s Mirotic blared, signaling that a call was incoming.

 

He answered.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Is this Minseok-shhi?” He could hear the harmonious tone of Jongdae’s voice even through the crappy receiver of the cell phone.

His heart raced as he replied, “Yeah, it’s me.”

 

“Oh, good!” Jongdae responded cheerfully, “Listen, I was wondering if we could get together sometime so that I could tell you about the album and all that. It’s a lot of information, and I don’t have the time to communicate it all over the phone.”

 

Minseok’s heart raced even faster. What Jongdae was proposing sounded a lot like a date. Of course it was totally innocent, he just wanted to tell the details in one sitting, but to Minseok it sounded like a date, nothing less.

 

“Yeah, sure! I know a decent chinese place, do you want to meet there?” He replied.

 

“That will work, we are released after normal dinner hours, so I hope the timing won’t be too inconvenient. If it is, we can schedule another time.” Jongdae mentioned, and Minseok felt the beginnings of a smile creep across his face. This neighbor of his was very considerate.

 

“I’ll text you the restaurant info. See you then Jongdae-shhi.” Minseok answered with a smile.

 

“Bye!” Jongdae ended, and the call was disconnected.

 

Minseok let out a huge breath he didn’t know he was holding in.

 

_I have a date with Kim Jongdae!_

 

The restaurant Minseok had chosen was actually the only restaurant that he ever really frequented. It was run by Yixing, a close friend of Luhan, who, by extension, was a close friend of Minseok himself. He felt comfortable entering its doors, bowing slightly to the serving staff.

 

“Minseok hyung!” Tao was his waiter as per tradition. “Yixing says that you like a spot in the corner, so I had this table saved for you.”

 

“Thanks Tao.” Minseok smiled in relief. One less thing to worry about while he waited for Jongdae.

 

Tao rushed away to serve another customer, and Minseok pulled out his phone. Yixing’s restaurant was quite popular, always bringing in a decent amount of customers. Even at this time of night, many tables were occupied, and the capable serving staff didn’t have an issue keeping up. Minseok figured that the other reason for the large customer base was the look of the serving staff. Yixing only hired those who were Chinese or have Chinese descent and could speak Mandarin, Cantonese or both. He claimed that it made work flow more smoothly, and Minseok had to agree. It also didn’t hurt that all of the staff he hired were extremely good looking.

 

At this moment, the head hostess Victoria led a customer in Minseok’s direction.

Jongdae’s bright smile grew wider upon seeing his company.

 

“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.” Jongdae said, settling into his chair.

 

“Your server will be right with you.” Victoria stated kindly, before returning to her position in the front of the restaurant.

 

Moments later, Tao reappeared, with a young man trailing behind him.

 

“Take no mind of Minghao Minseok hyung, he’s one of the new hires.” Tao supplied, before turning to Jongdae.

“What would you like to order?”

 

After completing his order, Jongdae turned back to Minseok. “You seem to have quite a few friends, Minseok-shhi.”

 

“That’s hyung to you.” Minseok replied, eyes twinkling.

 

“So, what’s your group’s schedule looking like?”

 

The evening progressed, and Minseok found that Jongdae was actually very easy to talk to. He had a great sense of humor, and he found himself trying to control his laughter from the force of one of Jongdae’s jokes.

 

“And then Sehun screamed like a little girl and Joonmyun came running to see what the fuss was and it turns out Sehun is really afraid of spiders.” Jongdae laughed heartily at Minseok’s reaction.

 

“That’s crazy Jongdae! But if you are in an idol group, then why don’t you live in the dorms with them?” Minseok questioned, curious.

 

“Haha, well it’s a long story.” Jongdae said, “It’s best to save that one for another time.”

 

“Ah,” Minseok began, “So there will be another time then.”

Jongdae’s eyes snapped to his.

“Of course! I’d really like to get to know you better hyung. You’re cute!”

 

Minseok blushed.

 

“Shall we get going?” Jongdae suggested, and Minseok nodded. They rose from the table, bowing slightly to the staff as they exited.

 

“So Jongdae, what made you want to become an idol?” Minseok inquired, genuinely curious. He was walking on the sidewalk alongside the man in question.

 

“Ahh, well I really like to sing. I think I almost tortured all of my friends throughout college. They kept telling me I should just give in already and become an idol since I sang all the time anyway.” He then laughed a little, cheeks reddening, “So I entered a singing competition and was scouted by SM Entertainment. It’s not the most interesting idol story, but it’s the truth.”

 

Minseok smiled at him, “I think that suits you.” He said quietly.

 

“And what about you Minseok hyung? What made you want to work in the café?” Jongdae returned politely. They were nearing their apartments, but neither of them wanted to acknowledge the fact.

 

“Well its not that interesting of a story really, my friend Luhan kind of dragged me into it. He was roommates with my boss, Baekhyun, in college, and knew that he was looking for someone to do the pastries. And of course, Luhan thought I’d be perfect for the job.” Minseok stopped, scuffing his shoe on the pavement. “I’ve been working there ever since.”

 

Jongdae opened his mouth, about to respond to Minseok, when a drop of rain landed on his arm. That was the only warning the sky gave before it started to pour, drenching the both of them.

 

“Hurry Hyung, let’s go!” Jongdae yelled, grabbing Minseok’s wrist. He led them through the rain, nearly tripping on the wet pavement.

 

Minseok let himself be dragged along, and he soon found himself holding hands with an equally drenched Jongdae in front of his apartment.

 

“Would you like to come inside?” Minseok offered. “I have clean towels.”

Instead of answering, Jongdae shivered. Minseok took that as a yes please, and unlocked his door. Letting go of Jongdae’s hand, he walked to the hall closet and pulled out fresh towels.  Thank god he had done the laundry the other day, otherwise it would be a mess.

 

He threw a towel in Jongdae’s direction, not bothering to look and see whether or not the man had actually caught it. He closed the door and walked back towards the living room, only to drop his towel in surprise when he sees Jongdae sitting on the floor, coughing loudly.

 

“Yah! Kim Jongdae! What’s wrong?” Minseok immediately rushes to his side, eyes scanning Jongdae’s body fervently. “Are you sick?”

 

Jongdae’s eyes water from the force of his coughs. “I’m fine hyung, it’s probably just a cold from being out in the rain.” He coughs again, the hacking shaking his whole body.

 

Minseok places his hand on Jongdae’s forehead, feeling for any sort of temperature. Jongdae’s forehead is extremely warm, and Minseok’s heart rate increases in alarm.

 

“Just take me back to my apartment hyung, I’ll be fine.” Jongdae whispers, throat going dry from the force of his coughs.

 

“That’s ridiculous, “ Minseok answers, “You aren’t going anywhere.”

 

He gently picks up Jongdae, not trusting him to stand. He carries him bridal style into his bedroom and places him on his bed.

 

“Not even a second date hyung, and you are going past second base?” Jongdae quips, laughing slightly.

 

Minseok freezes, and his heart races again. Jongdae laughs deliriously as if he just heard the funniest joke known to mankind.

 

“Hey hyung, do you know that sometimes I sing in the shower just so I can hear you sing back?”

 

Minseok was so far from being equipped to deal with a delirious Jongdae.

 

“Hey hyung, why don’t rhinoceros have long, poufy tails? Yunho hyung told me they did but Kyungsoo just laughed at me when I told him.” Jongdae says earnestly, startling Minseok further.

 

“I’m going to grab you some medicine okay?” He says to Jongdae, who is beginning to sweat. “I’ll be right back.”

 

Heading into his kitchen, Minseok pulls from his medicine cabinet, and pours Jongdae a glass of water. He walks slowly, so as to not spill any of the water, and heads back into his bedroom.

 

“Sit up Jongdae.” He instructs, before passing him the pills and the glass of water. Jongdae nods gratefully, and Minseok just stares.

 

“You’ll be fine the night, right?” He asks Jongdae, whose eyes are getting heavier by the moment.

 

“I’ll be on the couch if you need anything.” Minseok gets up from his spot on the bed, getting ready to turn out the light when Jongdae’s words stop him in his tracks.

 

“Hyung, please stay?”’

 

Minseok learns the hard way that Jongdae is a cuddler.

 

He awakens, and judging from the sunlight streaming through the windows, it’s already past time to get up. Minseok shifts, trying to move, but a pair of warm arms encircled around his waist keeps him in his place.

 

“Jongdae?” He asks, and instead of giving him an answer, Jongdae pulls him in closer. His breath tickles Minseok’s neck, and Minseok can barely breathe. Jongdae’s eyelashes flutter, and he mutters incoherently.

 

All of a sudden, a loud noise startles both of them.

 

“Jongdae hyung! Jongdae hyung! Jongdae hyung where are you?” A worried voice yells, beating on the door next door.

 

The banging sound startles Minseok, but Jongdae flinches and they both go tumbling out of the bed.

 

When Minseok opens his eyes again, he’s face to face with Jongdae, whose eyes are stretched wide in disbelief at their current situation.

 

Minseok blushes as he comprehends the fact that Jongdae is indeed straddling him.

 

Jongdae blinks widely down at him, staring like a startled deer.

 

“Jongdae hyung!” The voice shouts again, and Jongdae finally comprehends the situation enough to crawl off of Minseok.

 

“I better go back to my apartment.” He says, and all but runs out of the room, fleeing Minseok and the awkward situation.

 

Minseok can finally breathe again, and his heart is racing.

 

_What just happened?_

A few days pass, without a word from Jongdae. Minseok tells himself that it shouldn’t bother him, seeing as he already got all the information about exo’s album releases for Baekhyun, and that there is no reason he should have to be continually meeting Jongdae.

 

But still, he finds himself shifting from foot to foot while baking the pastries, an unsettling feeling washing over him.

 

The bell rings, signaling the entrance of a customer. Minseok doesn’t look up from his baking, trusting the boss to attend the cashier station.

 

The boss in question yells at him from the back of the store. “Minseok! You’ll handle this customer, right? I’m on the line with an important phone call at the moment.”

 

Minseok sighs, before wiping his hands with a cloth and walking out to the cashier stand, coming face to face, yet again, with Kim Jongdae.

 

Minseok looks down bashfully before clearing his throat.

 

“What brings you here Jongdae-ah?” He asks quietly.

 

“I was actually looking for a place to hide out. I was out with Sehun and we got found by some crazy sasaengs.” He says with a sense of urgency, “This was the first place I thought of.”

 

Minseok nods in understanding, before letting him behind the counter.

 

“You can’t stay here. Baekhyun will have a fit if any sasaengs get into this place. After the last time.” Minseok shudders, and doesn’t continue.

 

“Let’s go.” He grabs Jongdae by the wrist, and dials his phone. “Hey Luhan, find someone to cover my shift, okay?” He doesn’t wait for a response, and hangs up, dragging Jongdae out the back of the café.

 

Minseok should have known. In the alley there are no less than 20 girls, who immediately squeal at the sight of Jongdae.

 

“You haven’t even debuted yet, and you already have sasaengs? Just who are you Kim Jongdae?” He grumbles, flinching at the many flashes of the cameras.

 

Jongdae grimaces in reply, and they begin to run.

 

“Where are we going?” Jongdae demands, as Minseok leads him, dashing through the streets.

 

“Somewhere!” Minseok yells back eloquently. They duck into a nearby alley, breathing heavily. Minseok’s alley of choice happened to be very narrow, and he found himself pressed up against Jongdae.

 

Cursing in his mind, Minseok was about to say something to him, when Jongdae slammed his hand into the wall next to his head, silencing Minseok.

 

“They are coming.” He whispered, breath tickling Minseok’s face.

 

Minseok blinked, and seconds later, the sound of footsteps met his ears, as a group of girls rushed by, screaming loudly.

 

“I’m sure Jongdae oppa went this way!”  The leader shouted determinedly, rushing further down the street.

 

Once the coast is clear, Jongdae removes his hand from the wall.

“Sorry.” He says quietly, “I just didn’t want them to find us.”

 

“Find us?” Minseok demands, taking a step closer to Jongdae.

“What if they had gotten into the store?” Jongdae’s back hits the wall.

 

“I would have gotten fired!” He whispers loudly, Face nearing Jongdae’s who swallows nervously.

 

His eyelashes flutter. “Why are you doing this to me?” He asks, before pulling away from Jongdae.

 

“I’ll never understand you idols.” Minseok moves to leave the alleyway, and Jongdae grabs his hand, twirling him around.

 

“Minseok.” is all he says before leaning in, and finally, their lips touch.

 

Jongdae is kissing him.

Jongdae briefly pauses, waiting, and Minseok reciprocates. Their first kiss is marked with passion and urgency. Jongdae’s kisses are hot and lingering, pressing softly into Minseok’s lips. Minseok presses back into Jongdae’s lips hungrily, opening his mouth slightly, to suck on his bottom lip. Their mouths meld, and Jongdae’s kissing him deeply, brushing their tongues together. A heavy blush rises in Minseok’s cheeks; it’s been a while since he’d done something like this.

 

Minseok’s breathing heavily, and it’s not from all the running.

 

Jongdae’s arms wrap around his body, pulling him closer. Minseok’s hands go up to cradle his face. They kiss again and again, as if they can’t get enough of each other.

 

Jongdae starts kissing his neck, and Minseok’s legs go weak.

 

“Jongdae.” He whispers, “We should stop.” Minseok’s snapped to his senses, realizing that they just made out in an alley where practically anyone could have walked by and seen them.

 

Jongdae steps back from him, hair mussed, lips pink, and breathing heavily.

 

“Minseok hyung.” He says, and Minseok feels his resolve begin to crumble.

 

He grabs Jongdae’ hand, interlocking their fingers. “Let’s talk back at my apartment.”

 

It feels like ages before they get back, but Minseok is unlocking his door, and letting Jongdae inside.

 

“So.” He says, and Jongdae grabs his hand, before gently pushing him against the wall.

 

He guides Minseok’s hand to his chest, right above his heart. Minseok feels Jongdae’s heart beat wildly.

 

“It’s like this because of you, hyung.” He says, eyes blinking honestly.

 

“That’s so incredibly cheesy Jongdae.” He retorts, the corner of his mouth quirking upwards in the semblance of a smile.

 

“Since the day you first sang back during my shower, I wanted to meet you.” Jongdae says, “And I know that it will be hard since I’m an idol, but please, Minseok hyung, give me a chance.”

 

“You’ll get bored of me.” Minseok states softly, removing his hand from Jongdae’s chest.

“You don’t know me, Kim Jongdae.”  He turns away, smile slipping off of his face.

 

“That’s not true hyung. I know that you are a heavy sleeper, can bake like a god, and originally wanted to be a singer. I know that your favorite color is red and you are a die-hard DBSK fan. I know that your best friend’s name is Luhan and that you work at the Kkapesong café.

 

Jongdae clears his throat again.

 

“And most importantly Hyung, I know that I would love to be with you and learn more about you.”

 

He stands where he is looking directly into Minseok’s eyes.

 

“I like you Kim Minseok.”

 

This time, it’s Minseok’s heart that beats the fastest.

 

“ The truth is, Kim Jongdae, I like you too. And I’m willing to try us.”

 

He steps forward, invading Jongdae’s space to crash their lips together.

 

When Jongdae finally leaves an hour later to go to his company, Minseok doesn’t know what to think or even do.

 

So he does the only logical thing he can think of, and calls Luhan.

 

Luhan picks up after the first ring, yelling loudly into the receiver.

“Yah! Kim Minseok! I’m not your manager! Why on earth did you need me to cover your shift?”

 

Minseok winces, “I had to divert some sasaengs away from an idol that was visiting the café.”

 

“That has happened before,” Luhan says, “I don’t see why you needed me to cover it because of it.”

 

“Unless.” He pauses, “It was your neighbor, wasn’t it? The idol?”

 

Minseok blushes, glad Luhan can’t see his reaction.

“How did you know?” He asks.

 

“Please Minnie, he is the only person that you seem to talk about these days. “ Luhan replies, “So, what happened?”

 

“I may have made out with him in an alleyway.” He says in a rush.

 

“You what?!” Luhan screeches into the phone.

 

“He confessed to me, Luhan. “ Minseok says.

 

“IN THE ALLEYWAY?” Luhan demands, and Minseok can practically hear the gears turning in his head from here.

 

“No, at my house afterwards.” Minseok answers, and he swears he can hear Luhan swear in disappointment. He seemed to find Minseok’s love life to be his source of entertainment.

 

“And what did you say?” He asks Minseok.

 

“I confessed to him too.” Minseok responds, “We’re dating.”

 

Luhan lets out a loud cheer from the other end of the line. “I knew you had it in you, Minnie.” He says loudly, startling the other inhabitants of the store he is currently shopping in.

 

“Tell me when you are free, I want to meet him. I’m happy for you Minnie.” He glances a clock on the wall.

“Well I have to get to work, talk to you later.”

 

“Can you keep it a secret Luhan?” Minseok requests, “I don’t want any troubles with the media or sasaengs.”

 

“Yes, of course.” Luhan answers. “Bye Minnie!” He hangs up the phone, leaving Minseok to his thoughts.

 

Minseok has trouble sleeping that night, tossing and turning. He replays the kiss in his mind, the feel of Jongdae’s lips against his burned into his skin.

 

He crawls out of bed and takes a shower, scrubbing the residue of the chase of the crazy fans from his skin.

Feeling clean again, he dries off, climbing back into bed. Shutting his eyes, he lets sleep overtake him.

 

The next morning he awakens to cutesy girl group love song pouring from Jongdae’s lips.

His phone buzzes, the sound of an incoming text message alerting him.

 

It’s from Jongdae, of course.

 

From: Jongdae

\- Minseok hyung, have a good day! Fighting! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و

 

 

Minseok giggles at the childish use of emojis. “Cute..” He whispers, and climbs out of bed, ready to start his day.

 

At the café, Baekhyun pulls him into the back office immediately upon his arrival.

“What’s up Baek?” He asks.

 

“Did you help that customer escape yesterday?”

 

Minseok nods. “What’s this about?”

 

“Well those fans that were stalking him took pictures, and leaked a couple onto the internet.”

 

Minseok feels his heart drop in his chest. Had they found out already?

 

“Both that idol’s company and I are suing them, so don’t worry about the pictures, they will go away eventually. The last thing that group needs before debut is a scandal.”

 

Those words burn into Minseok’s heart. “Can I see the pictures?” He asks, and Baekhyun nods.

The photos show him, in uniform, clutching onto on Jongdae’s wrist, eyes fierce as he looks for a way out.

 

He inwardly breathes a sigh of relief. Those pictures could have captured something a lot more newsworthy.

 

He pulls out his phone and sends a quick text to Jongdae before returning to work.

 

To: Jongdae <3

\- Dinner tonight, my place at 10?

He doesn’t expect a quick response, but Jongdae texts him back seconds later.

 

To: Minseok

\- Is it a date?

 

To: Jongdae <3

\- Only if you show up

 

That night, Jongdae knocks on his door at 10:15.

“You are late.” Minseok says jokingly.

“I was not late,” Jongdae teases back, “You were simply early.”

 

Dinner is a small affair, nothing fancy. Minseok cooks some beef, and Jongdae’s mouth waters from the smell.

 

“How was practice?” Minseok asks as he prepares the rice, Jongdae trailing behind him.

 

“It was fine. We are shooting the episodes of our television show, and some of my group, like Joonmyun hyung, really need to work on their jokes. “ Jongdae says, “I haven’t told them about us.”

 

“I figured.” Minseok replies, “This is, after all, our first official date.”

 

Jongdae raises a glass of soju in response. “To many more.”

 

Minseok’s eyes twinkle as he echoes the sentiment.  “To many more.”

 

Their evening ends rather domestically, as Jongdae stands next to Minseok, helping him with the dishes, drying them patiently, one by one.

 

“Do you want to watch a drama? I’m pretty sure we could catch the episode of You Are All Surrounded that they are rerunning tonight.” Minseok says idly.

 

“I love that drama!” Jongdae says excitedly, tugging at Minseok’s shirtsleeve.

 

They settle onto the couch, and Jongdae snuggles into him, content with the warm silence. The television show continues to play, and they both drift off to sleep.

 

Jongdae is awakened the next morning by the blaring of Minseok’s cellphone. It’s his morning alarm, the alarm the he sleeps too deeply to ever acknowledge. Jongdae shifts, moving to turn it off. He winces as he does so, feeling a cramp in his arm. Minseok’s couch wasn’t exactly the most comfortable place to sleep. He moves to stand, preparing to go back to his apartment to get ready to go to the company to practice. It was only a matter of days until debut, and they still had filming to get through before they were ready, and choreography to memorize.

A cold hand grabs his ankle, holding him in place.

 

“Hyung?” He addresses the lump of blankets next to him.

 

“Have a good day Jongdae.” Comes Minseok’s voice from deep within the blankets, rough with sleep.

 

Jongdae shudders slightly at the sound. “You too hyung.” He replies, and flees, returning to his own apartment.

 

He sends Minseok his daily message of, “fighting hyung! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و ” and is on his way.

 

Following the way of traditional idol television shows, Chanyeol takes it upon himself to expose all of the members “dirty secrets”. They are filming one of the final episodes of EXO showtime, and Jongdae was totally asking for it, in his opinion.

His eyes twinkle as he prepares his statement. “Well Jongdae has bad habits! He sings too loudly in the shower!” Jongdae scoffs as Chanyeol continues, “It’s true! Before he moved out, all of us could barely get any sleep because of his caterwauling.” Jongdae looks rightfully indignant at Chanyeol’s use of the word “caterwauling”, but says nothing.

 

"I have proof!" Sehun exclaims, startling everyone's concentration. The cameras are still rolling, and although it is early, the members are wide-awake with his proclamation.

 

"Proof of What?" Jongdae asks, curious.

 

"Proof that you sing way too loudly in the shower." Sehun answers, as he pulls his phone out of his pocket.

 

Jongdae groans. "It's not such a bad habit, really."

 

Even Joonmyun gives him a look, and Jongdae sighs further.

 

"Let's hear it Sehun." He says calmly, still quietly wondering what exactly the maknae recorded.

 

 

Sehun presses play and the unmistakable sound of the water spray hitting the floor is heard.  Faintly at first, then bellowing out is Jongdae's voice, singing DBSK's Mirotic with fervor.

 

"Oh~ I got you under my skin." He sings loudly, then coughs, halting the smooth progression of the song.

 

Another voice picks up in his absence, "neon nareul wonhae neon naege ppajyeo

."

 

The room goes dead silent as the recording continues to play, Jongdae's voice fusing pleasantly with that of the mysterious one.

 

The director makes a motion, and the cameras stop rolling.

"Who's that singing with you Jongdae?"

 

Jongdae blushes, "It's just a hyung of mine."   _Even though he_ _’_ _s actually a lot more than that._ Jongdae thinks quietly.

 

The director accepts this answer, and nods to the camera director. The camera starts rolling again, and Jongdae provides the exact same answer when Sehun asks him again for the camera, and that’s when the show cuts to a preview of the next episode.

 

Next Time on EXO Showtime, A visit to Jongdae’s apartment!

 

“Yah! Oh Sehun!” Jongdae whisper yells. Even though the cameras aren’t filming them right now, there was no telling who could be listening. “How on earth did you record that?”

 

Sehun smirks. “I have connections.” He says simply. Or rather, a connection, he thinks privately. A connection in the form of Luhan, Kim Minseok’s best friend.

 

The episode causes a small stir in the media when it is aired, bringing exo to the spotlight.

 

The public wants to know the owner of that voice that fused so pleasantly with that of Jongdae’s. No one connects his bakery protector to the owner of the voice. No one draws the line that connects Jongdae to Minseok. Jongdae is grateful. The coverage dies down.

 

They continue dating in secret, going out at night to norebangs and to parks, laughing and joking, enjoying each other’s presence. The date of Jongdae’s debut draws nearer, and Minseok can feel the walls closing in.

 

The next week he gets up early. Baekhyun wants him to try this new recipe, and apparently that involves getting up early and being there early in case of error. Minseok doesn’t like the concept of getting up in general, but he makes an allowance for Baekhyun.

 

What Jongdae had forgotten to tell him was that today’s shooting of exo showtime would take place at his apartment, right next door from Minseok’s own.

 

So, he had showered without worry and just put on a clean pair of pants before he realized that he hadn’t read the morning paper yet. So, hair still wet, Minseok stepped out of his apartment, shirtless, to grab the paper.

 

He was in no way prepared for the sheer amount of cameras outside of the door. Eyes blinking in surprise, Minseok froze on the spot, all useful thoughts fleeing his brain. 

And of course, there was a camera pointed directly at him. Turning bright red, Minseok hastily scooped up the paper and disappeared back inside his apartment, safe.

 

At least he thought he was safe, the week calmly passing by, with the usual “fighting hyung!” texts from Jongdae continuously brightening his mood. He loved their weekly dinners together and pecks Jongdae would place on his cheek before leaving his apartment. That is, until Luhan pulled him out from behind the bakery counter on a lazy Saturday morning.

 

“Minseok, you are not going to believe this.”

 

Minseok arched an eyebrow. “Just what am I not going to believe?”

 

Luhan gave him a look. “Who is Kim Jongdae’s neighbor is on the top of the Naver search right now. You need to see this. “

 

And sure enough, there he was, abs and all, plastered across the internet search engine.

 

Minseok was definitely going to kill Kim Jongdae.

 

“Who is that, Jongdae?” Joonmyun questions him during practice, breathing heavily due to the exertion of their choreography.

 

“Who are you talking about?” Jongdae gasps back. The practice was draining.

 

Joonmyun doesn’t reply, but pulls him aside instead, during their next break.

 

“Who is this?” He says pointing to the article that claimed the top spot on Naver and other various search engines.

Jongdae freezes upon seeing the picture. There is his boyfriend, an expression of surprise perfectly captured on his face. Jongdae’s eyes trace the lines of his abs, taking note of Minseok’s wet hair and baby blue house slippers.

 

“Uh..” He replies intelligently, “ my neighbor hyung?”

 

“Well,” Joonmyun says, “You can thank your neighbor hyung for the publicity.”

“Don’t forget that we debut next week.”

 

Jongdae nods respectfully, plenty of thoughts racing through his mind, and none of them about their debut.

 

That night he goes home to Minseok’s apartment, taking off his shoes at the door. Minseok is nowhere to be seen, but the sound of his voice meets Jongdae’s ears. Jongdae smiles. He recognizes the song immediately as one of DBSK’s famous ballads.  He follows the voice to it’s source, where Minseok is cooking rice in the kitchen, singing louder than the radio, which is turned down low. He doesn’t notice Jongdae, who walks in quietly, and wraps his arms around Minseok’s waist. They hum the last few bars of the song together.

 

“Why the sad song, hyung?” He asks.

 

“It came on.” Minseok replies simply. “Let’s eat, Dae.” the pet name rolling smoothly off his lips. Jongdae’s smile widened at the nickname.

 

“I saw the article.” Minseok comments, and Jongdae nearly spits out the rice he is chewing on.

 

“I should be more careful.” He adds as an afterthought. “You know Jongdae, its only going to get harder for us after your debut. “

 

Jongdae swallows his rice, nodding.

 

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take.” He says, smiling softly at Minseok.

 

“Listen, Jongdae, I know that your debut is next week. I managed to talk Baekhyun into giving me some time off. If your schedule permits, do you want to go to Jeju?” Minseok says, completely startling Jongdae, who had gotten up to put his dishes in the sink.

 

He sets them down, whirling around to face Minseok.

 

“I’d love to go with you.” He says, pulling Minseok in for a kiss. It was short and sweet. “We get the weekend off. The only thing is that manager hyung says that if we get injured, he’ll have our heads.”

 

Minseok smiles at him. “I’ll protect you then.”

 

They catch a late flight to Jeju on Friday night. The flight isn’t even long, lasting barely over an hour.

 

At their hotel, Jongdae flops back onto the large king size bed. Minseok kisses his forehead before crawling under the covers beside him. Tomorrow, their 2 days left of peace before debut starts.

 

“Let’s go to the beach!” Jongdae says, having gotten up early the next morning.

He drags Minseok out of bed.

 

“Breakfast first!” Minseok grumbles. “Besides, the water is still cold, it’s only spring.”

 

“I know.” Jongdae says, “But I don’t want to waste a minute.”

 

He smiles, before leaving the room so Minseok can change. Minseok meets him down in the hotel’s lobby, and they eat breakfast in a secluded corner.

 

“So, tell me about your family.” Minseok says to Jongdae, who is currently chewing on a mouthful of waffles.

 

Jongdae pauses a moment before answering, “I have an older brother. I don’t get to see him all that much because I’m a trainee and all. I miss him a lot.”

 

Minseok is suddenly sorry for asking, because Jongdae’s become a bit more sober, quieter with the weight of the question.

 

Minseok changes the subject. They finish their meal, and he leads the way out of the hotel. They take a few back roads to be safe. Jongdae’s fan base just keeps growing, and Minseok wants to make sure that these days are stress free for him.

 

The beach is sunny. Waves crash along the shore, creating a pleasant rhythm.

There’s no one in sight, except for them. Minseok had managed to find a small, tiny beach perfect for them to have privacy.

 

Jongdae interlocks their fingers, slipping his hand into Minseok’s.

“I love you, hyung.” He says, smiling wide, eyes crinkling upwards.

 

Minseok blinks, and feels his heart beat fast.

 

“I love you too.” He says, blushing.

 

“Race you to the water!” Jongdae yells, shattering the moment. Minseok sighs softly, inaudibly, before chasing after him.

 

When the sun goes down, they are in their hotel room, and Jongdae grabs a pillow, chucking it into Minseok’s face.

 

“Yah! Kim Jongdae!” Minseok says, grabbing the nearest pillow, before racing over to him, slamming the pillow into his abdomen.

 

Jongdae’s joy must be infectious, because Minseok is doubled over in laughter at Jongdae’s indignant expression.

 

“Hyung, “ He pouts, “you can’t have more than one pillow. That isn’t fair!”

 

Minseok arches an eyebrow. “Says who?” He argues, reaching behind him.

 

“Says me of course.” Jongdae replies, trapping Minseok’s hands as they try to reach a pillow. 

 

They both fall onto the couch, and Minseok groans with pain as they land on his wrist. They stand up quickly, and Jongdae grabs the pillows, rushing away from Minseok into the bedroom.

 

“You better watch out Kim Jongdae!” Minseok says as he barges into the room.

 

Jongdae pelts him with pillows, laughing maniacally. “You’ll never get me hyung!”

 

Minseok grabs him by the wrist, pulling him to stand face to face.

 

Jongdae pouts again.

 

“No cheating.” He whispers, and suddenly Minseok is kissing him, reaching for the pillows behind him.

 

“Jongdae.” He breathes in between kisses, and Jongdae gives up trying to reach for the pillows, his futile efforts abandoned.

 

Instead he tugs Minseok down on top of him, and they both fall on the bed.

 

The atmosphere gets heated quickly. Minseok’s hands are all over Jongdae, and Jongdae is shivering in response to his touch. The noises he’s making are absolutely sinful.

 

“Minseok.” Jongdae breathes. Minseok’s having a hard time breathing too. They’ve had sex before, but this time it was different.

 

“I want you.” Minseok grinds his hips down on Jongdae’s, pleasure shooting straight to his cock. He leans, bending over Jongdae before whispering breathlessly in his ear, “ to fuck me.”

 

Jongdae visibly relaxes at Minseok’s consent. He flips them over, and kisses Minseok’s neck, licking and biting gently. He runs his fingers under the flimsy cotton of Minseok’s shirt, grasping at it gently before tugging it off.

 

Minseok surges up to meet him, connecting their lips messily. Jongdae’s tongue is massaging his, and he kisses hungrily.

 

His hands reach Jongdae’s shirt, pulling it off of him, and exposing his expanse of toned skin.  Jongdae runs his hands all over Minseok’s body, before coming to rest on his ass. Jongdae has always been an ass man, and Minseok isn’t one to disappoint.

 

“God hyung, you are so beautiful.” Jongdae says, and Minseok moans upon hearing the lower tone of his voice. Jongdae’s eyes take in the expanse of Minseok’s body, memorizing each part of the flesh. He drops tiny butterfly kisses, everywhere he can reach.

 

Minseok’s eyes are glassy, pupils blown wide with lust as he looks up at Jongdae.

 

“Jongdae please.” He says. Jongdae stumbles out of his pants and Minseok does the same. He reaches into the nightstand drawer, pulling out lube and a condom.

 

Minseok isn’t a patient man. He is already straining, grasping as his own erection. Jongdae gently pushes his hand aside, coating his finger with the lube. He pushes the first finger slowly into Minseok, who groans at the sensation. He hasn’t felt the stretch in a while, and sweat rolls down his body.

 

Jongdae makes up for it by kissing him, peppering every inch of his body while he slides the second finger in. Minseok keens, adjusting to the burn.

“You’ve done this before, haven’t you?” Minseok accuses in breaths, moaning loudly as Jongdae’s fingers find his prostate.

Jongdae smiles,

 

“Only with you hyung.”

Minseok clenches around his finger, making them both moan. Minseok reaches for Jongdae’s cock, stroking it.

 

By the time he is adding the third finger, Minseok is leaving scratch marks up and down his back.

 

“Jongdae.” He moans, “Please babe, I’m so close.”

 

Jongdae moves to put a condom on, and Minseok stops him. He opens the packet himself, rolling the condom down Jongdae’s length.

 

“Your cock is so pretty Jongdae-ah.” Minseok comments, and the blush in Jongdae’s cheeks deepens.

 

“Are you sure about this hyung?” Jongdae asks, and Minseok nods.

 

Jongdae bites his lip before sinking into him, bringing tears to Minseok’s eyes at the stretch. The feeling of Minseok around him makes Jongdae whine.

 

Minseok adjusts to the burn, and Jongdae begins to move, thrusting with his hips deep into Minseok who moans louder at the sensation.

 

“Dae –ah” Minseok can barely get out the words over the feeling of the pleasuring sensation.

 

“Shit, Minseok, I’m going to cum.” Jongdae says, as he nails Minseok’s prostate.

 

“Fuck, Dae.” Minseok says.

 

They both cum at the same time, bodies sticky with sweat. Jongdae leaves a hickey on Minseok’s abdomen before pulling out and removing the condom, tossing it into the trash.

 

Minseok’s never been much of a cuddler, especially right after sex, but he makes an exception as Jongdae’s arms surround him and he falls easily into sleep.

 

“I love you hyung.” Jongdae whispers into his neck, and Minseok smiles in his sleep.

 

The next morning Minseok wakes up first. The heat of Jongdae’s embrace is slightly suffocating, so he wiggles out from his arms and the heavy blankets of the bed.

 

“Jongdae, let’s shower.” He says. Jongdae grumbles at him, but shoves the blankets off his body.

 

They shower together, Minseok pouring shampoo into Jongdae’s hair, laughing at his expression. Jongdae makes another face. He lathers the soap onto Minseok, grinning evilly.

 

Jongdae’s final day before debut is spent with Minseok, and it is all over way too soon.

 

Standing in the middle of the hallway between their two apartments, Jongdae can’t bring himself to say goodbye.

 

“Stay the night?” He asks, and Minseok can’t refuse.

 

Jongdae wakes up alone in bed. His alarm blares, and he rubs his eyes sleepily.

 

“Minseok?” He calls out, voice rough from disuse. There is no reply, and Jongdae climbs out from under the covers. He hears the distinct sound of the shower running, and Minseok’s voice accompanies the sound.

 

Jongdae smiles softly.

 

“I can’t stop stop stop it’s party time~” Minseok sings, cheerfully belting out SNSD’s newest hit.

 

Jongdae dresses quickly, grabbing a bite to eat. He needs to be down at the office soon.

Barely sparing a moment, he stands outside the door to the bathroom.

 

“Seok,” He calls over the sound of running water, “I have to leave now.”

Minseok shuts off the water and wraps a towel around his waist. He sticks his head out of the door, surprising Jongdae.

 

“Good luck Dae.” He says, and presses a quick kiss to his cheek. “You’ll be great.”

Jongdae smiles again. “I hope so, hyung.” He leaves then, out the door and headed to work.

 

Minseok spends the rest of the day in a state of perpetual worry. He can’t stop thinking of Jongdae, wondering how he is doing and when EXO will go to the music station to perform.

 

As he’s cleaning down the counters at the café, he gets a call from Luhan.

 

“What’s up, Lu?” He asks, balancing the phone in one hand as he cleans with the other.

“You should really turn on the TV. EXO’s in 3 minutes.”

 

The performance takes his breath away. A swell of pride rushes up in his heart as he watches Jongdae perform, and the crowd cheering in response.

 

He wishes he could be there, but he knows that he will have plenty of time to watch Jongdae in the future.

 

5 years down the road, and Minseok is reminiscing. He recalls all the times after debut that Jongdae would come home late, drenched in sweat from working too hard at the studio. He recalls all of the times they were forced to cancel their dates. He recalls the fighting and the lovemaking. He recalls the nights spent crying on Jongdae’s shoulder at the unfairness of it all. He recalls sneaking out at 2 am, making up for lost time.

 

Jongdae recalls the struggles he had right after debut, the feeling that they were going to fail. He recalls their first win, and how happy he was. He recalls his joy in telling Minseok, and his family. He recalls introducing Minseok to his band, his second home. He recalls the fear of almost losing Minseok, of almost being discovered.

 

He revels in the memory of their songs.

 

 

It’s a brisk, chilly day in October. Cars speed by, and then slow down, Seoul traffic forcing them into uncomfortable patterns. The entrance to the Music Bank filming is jammed, filled with many fans as they fill in the seats, anticipating the performances of their idols.

 

A seasoned performer by the name of Sungkyu is today’s MC, commenting dutifully on the goings on, as the first stage is finishing preparations.

 

“It is time for the solo debut that many of you have been anticipating, ” He says, as the spotlights flicker, and then turn on, brightly illuminating the stage.

“Performing Best Luck, please welcome Kim Jongdae, EXO’s Chen!”

 

The fans cheer loudly, and Jongdae begins to sing.

 

An instrumental break in the song occurs, and Jongdae drops his gaze from the camera, smiling at the ground instead.

 

He picks up seamlessly, and another voice chimes in with his, melding smoothly. Minseok walks onto the stage, effortlessly holding the note as he harmonizes with Jongdae, who pours more emotion into the song then ever before.

 

 

They continue the song, eyes meeting briefly as they harmonize again and again, to the amazement of the fans, who cheer louder for Jongdae as he hits a particularly high note.

 

The song ends all too soon, but Minseok is satisfied. He glances over at his boyfriend, who is smiling broadly, waving at the fans as he bows and exits the stage.

 

“Do you think they liked it?” Jongdae asks Minseok once they reach their dressing room, ducking back into privacy.

 

“I liked it.” Minseok says, kissing Jongdae softly, deliberately.

 

“I hope you do hyung, because I never want you to stop performing with me.” Jongdae responds.

 

Minseok receives another brief spout of publicity as the netizens finally put together the pieces. Jongdae’s neighbor, the owner of the voice is found. He himself gains a small following. But, he doesn’t release his own music, content with featuring on different tracks and songs of his boyfriend’s.

 

“Do you ever regret it?” He asks Jongdae, one night after a concert, as they are sitting on the couch in their apartment, having moved in together years ago.

 

“Becoming an idol, I mean. With all the scandals and stress and sasaengs, doesn’t it ever get to be too much?”

 

“That’s why I have you.” Jongdae answers, and pulls him in for another kiss.

 

“You are so cheesy Jongdae.” Minseok says. Jongdae pouts.

 

“You love me anyway.” He claims, and Minseok has to smile at that.

 

“Of course I do.”


End file.
